Associated Press,Wed July 16, 2008 02:50 EDT .
- - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Sri Lankan soldiers captured a key naval base used by the Tamil Tiger rebels in the northern part of the country Wednesday, a day after forces killed 51 rebels in attacks across the same region, the military said.

A Defense Ministry statement said government troops overran the rebel-held town of Vidattaltivu in the north Wednesday morning. The coastal town is the location of an important base used by the Sea Tiger naval force.

Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan could not be immediately reached for comment.

Fighting in the 25-year civil war has escalated in recent months after the government vowed to destroy the rebel group by the end of the year.

Elsewhere, 14 rebels and a soldier were killed Tuesday in fighting in Vavuniya district while seven more rebels died in Jaffna and Welioya fronts, Nanayakkara said.

It is not possible to independently verify the military reports because journalists are banned from the conflict zone.

Both sides often exaggerate the losses inflicted on their enemy and underreport their own.

Tamil Tiger rebels have fought since 1983 to create an independent homeland for ethnic minority Tamils, who have faced marginalization by successive governments controlled by majority ethnic Sinhalese.Discuss this story

Associated Press,Wed July 16, 2008 10:31 EDT .
- - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Police have uncovered human remains in Sri Lanka - 's volatile east, and a pro-Tamil separatist Web site described the area as a mass grave containing the bodies of 32 people. Mass graves have been found in the past in Sri Lanka - , particularly in the war-torn northern Jaffna Peninsula, but investigations into the deaths have never produced results.

An estimated 70,000 people have been killed in the more than two-decade civil war between the government and the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels. The guerrillas began fighting in 1983 for a homeland for the ethnic Tamil minority in the north and east.

Hundreds of civilians have been killed in mysterious circumstances and many more are unaccounted for after being arrested or abducted, since a new wave of violence broke out 22 months ago.

TOI,July 16.
NEW DELHI: India is not taking any chances with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's security during his visit to Colombo for the SAARC summit early next month.

The Centre is planning to despatch three warships, including two frontline guided-missile destroyers, to Sri Lankan waters as security cover for the PM and his entourage from the much-feared LTTE.

With national security adviser M K Narayanan personally looking into the issue due to the "high threat perception" from the LTTE, hectic consultations are on between India and Sri Lanka to ensure fool-proof security arrangements. As the Tamil Tigers are known to use suicide bombers, there can be no room for mistakes.
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LTTE must be defeated, says Rajapaksahindu.com,Tuesday, July 15, 2008 .
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday said it was necessary to defeat the LTTE since it had continued its “war of terror through talks, ceasefires and many other peace initiatives”...